Hyacinths for the Soul

“On the sixth day God completed all the work that he had done, and on the seventh day God rested from all the work that he had done.” Genesis 2:3 (CEB)
We are a tired lot. I sometimes think we have forgotten how to rest…to do what rejuvenates…to even take time to do nothing but enjoy what is going on around us. We have forgotten how to rest. Even our play can become work when we become too competitive, or too perfectionistic in what we are doing. I mean even God rested…so why don’t we?
Now before anyone gets the idea that I am judging how you live your life, please know this post is probably more for me than anyone else. I get way too caught up in work and all that I need to accomplish that when I do get home, I tend to sit down, eat dinner, fall asleep, then wake up so I can go to bed and start all over the next day. Not a very glamorous life. The reason for that is basically I let work, house work, yard work and every other kind of work you can think of get in the way of rest. I was raised with the ethic of work first, play later. Not a bad concept, except work is always there and sometimes the opportunities to have fun with family and friends isn’t.
Which I believe, is why God rested. God wanted us to know that rest is good. So good that even God took the time to rest and enjoy the fruits of all God’s labor. Rest doesn’t necessarily mean the cessation of all activities. It could be doing what you love. Sometimes rest for me is refinishing an old piece of furniture. Sometimes it is watching an old Humphrey Bogart movie, usually Casablanca or The Maltese Falcon. And you would think I would get tired of seeing them but….no. Sometimes rest is weeding my garden. I know I live a very sad and uninteresting life but the thing is for me, weeding is something I can do that is especially helpful when I am working out a knotty issue. And by the time I am done weeding, I have usually come to a resolution to the issue which brings me peace and peace is restful.
The question becomes: How do you rest? And please know that for each one of us rest will be different and that is perfectly fine. The important things to remember are first to be intentional about finding ways to rest and second to know what things in your life give you rest. And sleep is completely different from rest. Both are rejuvenating but one rejuvenates the body while the other rejuvenates the soul. My Mom used to call those things that were soul refreshing; “Hyacinths for the soul.” I like that. Rest means doing something beautiful for your soul.
Yesterday, my husband and I took a day of rest. We met up with my youngest son and we went to Epcot for the day. We had a blast, we ate way too much, we enjoyed all the sights and sounds, we talked a lot about everything, and we rested. Oh and bonus, we got to meet Donald Duck!
May you all find ways to rest in this fast paced world we all call home.
Peace,
Beth